RPG devs adapt or die, here comes the MMORPG

Obsidian Entertainment CEO Feargus Urquhart has some strong words for single-player RPG developers. With the rise of MMORPGs such as World of Warcraftand Everquest, old-style role playing games need to re-think their strategy or face extinction. "It used to be fine to make an RPG that was just wandering around and hacking things up with the player having very little effect on the world around them", explains Urquhart, "Why play that game now if you could just play a MMO?"

The key is to define what single-player RPGs offer over the online experience and bring that into sharp focus. Dungeon hacking is a thing of the past, now players want as much control over their character and surroundings as possible. But what does solo role playing offer that the online experience doesn't? Is there still a demand for epic single-player RPGs in the world, or are we moving to a strict MMORPG diet?